TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Aug 4, 2023

As the U.S. Department of Justice commences a civil rights investigation of Memphis Police, state Rep. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis, is calling for an overhaul of the Memphis Shelby Crime Commission, including removal of director Bill Gibbons. “We need a real Crime Commission,” Hardaway said, challenging the next Memphis mayor to appoint a group accountable to the public. Gibbons, who has been Shelby County district attorney general, Tennessee Homeland Security commissioner, Memphis City Council member and Shelby County commissioner, heads the 50-member commission, which was created in 1996. In 2022, the commission released a new plan to reduce crime after violence escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tennessee Lookout has more on the news.